Peter Carroll, 55, was tracked down by officers from the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team as a result of an unsolved case review.

He attacked the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons but was in her 20s at the time, in the White Horse Lane area of Trowse during the evening of Saturday, July 20 1996.

Carroll, of Barnsbury Avenue, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was found guilty of rape and another count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent following a trial at Norwich Crown Court.

The jury of five men and seven women were however unable to reach a verdict on the first count of attempted murder after more than 12 hours 20 minutes.

Judge Stephen Holt discharged the jury from giving a verdict on the attempted murder charge.

He ordered that the matter lie on file after John Farmer, prosecuting, confirmed the crown would not be seeking a retrial.

Judge Holt adjourned sentence until July 11 so reports can be carried out.

Carroll was remanded in custody.

The jury had been out for more than eight hours when they returned a unanimous verdict in relation to attempt to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

The jury also returned a unanimous verdict in relation to rape after having deliberated for just under seven hours and 50 minutes.

Carroll, who has short dark hair, wears glasses, a hearing aid and is of a tanned complexion, wearing an aqua coloured shirt, bowed his head after the GBH verdict was returned and shook his head as the unanimous rape verdict was announced.

He bowed his head and became visibly upset, shaking and continually shook his head from side to side.

During the trial the court had heard Carroll had taken the victim, who he had met earlier, to the White Horse Lane area of Trowse where he raped and brutally attacked her in his car.

Despite her being pregnant at the time of the attack, Carroll left the victim before driving away from the scene.

The victim eventually managed to flag down a passing car and was taken to a police station in Norwich.

The victim, who worked as a prostitute at the time, was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich hospital where she underwent a forensic examination and swabs and fingernail clippings were seized.

At the time it was not possible to extract a DNA profile from the samples however they were retained.

In September 2013, following the launch of an unsolved case review and advances in technology, a full DNA profile was obtained resulting in a match to Carroll.

Carroll was arrested by detectives from the Joint MIT at his home in Buckinghamshire during the afternoon of Wednesday, December 18 2013.

On Thursday, December 19 2013 Carroll was subsequently charged with attempted murder and rape.